a little sprout

little pleasures - continued

2012-01-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well except for poking the finger with the barbed needle.
Because she's bear lover of course.

little pleasures

2012-01-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've heard of the NY Times no knead bread, but have you tried the Cooks Illustrated version? If not, you must try it, not only as it is easy, but the flavor is much more complex in their version. I've got the whole wheat one in my oven right now, the white flour one above is for a friend.

haircut

2012-01-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

That's better, now for some clothes.

Happy Sunday!

2012-01-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

For doll making, nothing beats a hemostat, but my other favorite took is this little bodkin (I think...). I don't actually like using chopsticks for turning pressing out corners and edges, it's not gentle enough for my work, especially when working with linen. Speaking of linen, I find it to be a difficult fabric to work with for plush making. It tends to shift when sewing and cutting and due to the open weave, it is more delicate to stuff and sew up openings using ladder stitch despite it being a strong cloth. If you are a beginner plush maker, I recommend lining it with muslim.

Anyway, I bought this bodkin to turn tubes inside out which by the way I couldn't do very well with it but it's great for pushing out edges after sewing inside out. Especially for curves; it just glides along and does the job wonderfully without snagging or threatening to making a hole. For pushing out tiny corners, I usually start with this and then finish off with small wooden knitting needle which is usually more rounded, smoother and smaller than chopsticks. Proceed with caution as it is easy to poke a hole.

I've started working on my ginger girl again. Arms need attaching then a much needed haircut.

Happy 2012

2012-01-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of you, I hope your holidays were lovely and spent with ones you love. Thank you for visiting me here and supporting my work last year!

We spend New Years visiting Monterey Aquarium and exploring Point Lobos Reserve.

DIY playkitchen

2012-01-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

One Xmas gift I really wanted to get this year for the kiddos was a play kitchen. I kept putting it off because I felt that there really weren't a lot of options out there that were cute, wooden and not too small. I really liked the Educo ones but they are probably suited for more for toddlers. I placed an order for this Kidkraft one as it is one of the bigger wooden kitchens but wasn't 100% sold on it because well, it looked so girly. So I asked Nick if he was up to making one with me as I had seen some cute kitchens made with Ana White's plans. It took us 2 weeks working at night in the garage aka "dungeon"...it was freezing cold and since we only had a circular saw, hack saw and jig saw with no work table, we were basically working off the floor, and using our chest freezer as a work table. Since the pieces of timber were 12 inches wide the circular saw couldn't cut completely across, so we had to cut from both ends and it's really hard to get the cuts accurate. We did have a lot of laughs together and really this is our first collaborative crafty projects and it was great fun. We did feel like work slaves heading down to the cellar every night though. It was pretty hard work without all the proper work setup!

The oven door is a pain to get right and one of the cut dimensions (shelves for the stove and sink) on Ana's site was incorrect, so make sure you double check all the measurements before you assemble. I was inspired to use the ceramic knobs from another crafter on her site and used the tutorial for the sink curtain there too. The oven has a tap light installed which the kids love. Because the sink and oven units are 12 inches deep, once the faucet was installed there wasn't enough room to install a big enough round sink bowl so we ended up using a brownie pan and it worked out great.

The two toned unit is, yes you guessed it, an Ikea hack. I took the bottom shelf and cut it so that it would fit on top when I flipped the unit upside down and used a pine timber to make a shelf. The back was made from a piece of plywood.

This is a really satisfying little project and sooo cute when finished and although it is a bit girly I think it's cuter than the Kidkraft one I had ordered. Best of all, it's tall enough to last a few years. I do not want to Polyacrylic anything for a while however; I really hate applying that stuff.

edited to add: we increased the height of the oven and sink by two inches to make it a bit taller.

2011-12-03T08:53:00.001-08:00

Here is a pair of shoes I bought in Seoul for littlest C. In Seoul, there are places to shop literally everywhere, on the streets, in the subway, my favorite - the markets, and of course store fronts and department stores.

Aren't they adorable? I am kicking myself for not picking up some of the sweet little oxfords I saw too. Namdaemun and dongdaemun markets great shopping markets but Namdaemum in particular have lots of cute kids clothing stalls styled with the Japanese/french aesthetic. I bought all these here but I couldn't take any photos of the stalls as the owners didn't want me too. Boo.

2011-11-29T13:19:00.001-08:00

Here is birdie no. 2 I am currently working on. I am really trying hard to update my shop before the holidays but I'm not sure if I will make it. I should have started Christmas gift making months ago but I can never seem to get my act together until after Thanksgiving.

Some changes around here too, my littlest C started Montessori beginning of this month. I'm not sure if it's the best fit for a very talkative and energetic almost 4 year old, but she seems to like it. She says there is no playing. Only learning by playing. And she continues to disrupt her ballet class and getting timed out occasionally. I've never heard of any child getting timed out in ballet! But they are very patient with her. I started reading the book, raising your spirited child, and I can't put the book down. I wish I had read this book 2 years ago.

one down, 4 left to go

2011-11-19T11:21:00.001-08:00

I think I better make a little clone quickly because it's going to be really hard to part with this one.

Hope you all have a nice weekend xx

I am enjoying working on..

2011-11-15T11:45:00.001-08:00

He prefers the monochromatic look.

Happy Tuesday!

2011-11-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from South Korea and I had an exhilarating time. With no husband and kids in tow it was incredible feeling of being young again with no other responsibilities other than being able to savor every moment. I had been back about 15 years ago but to see it through my parents eyes who haven't been back for 3 decades was an experience I will remember forever. Reunions with relatives, visiting beautiful Busan, watching farm women harvest sweet potatoes next to our family burial plot where we paid respect to love ones gone, vibrant Seoul, where many do not sleep many hours in a day, and the food! Eateries and shops fill every street in Seoul.
I had my parents all to myself on this trip and I will remember every moment of it.

a trip

2011-10-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

I've been hard at work trying to update my shop for an update but I wasn't able to finish by September which was my goal because..I'm going to Seoul next week for 2 weeks! I'm accompanying my parents who haven't been back home for 35 years and I can't wait to be part of that. I haven't been back in about 14 years and I am really looking forward to the markets, eating the delish food and hanging out in the many coffee cafes there. The thought of all the craft supplies sold there is pretty exciting!
I am leaving my 2 kids behind which is really scary as I haven't been apart from them for even a day since they were born but they will be in the great hands of my inlaws who are flying in from the UK to help out, thank you mum!!

I hope to get back to these fat little birdies and some dolls when I return; it's been too long since the shop has been empty.

the resident clown

2011-09-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

I'm glad this goofball was born on Christmas which means she won't be in Kinder until she is almost 6. Always on the move, is a major clown and completely hilarious. I am really worried how she will survive real school. Kindergarten in our neck of the woods is so strict it was a big change from preschool. I guess you have to be with our huge class sizes these days. Little C in comparison is going to grow up to be in law enforcement I'm sure. Stickler for rules and always looking at her with a big disapproval frown on his face!

sorry friend

2011-09-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

work in progress...

back to routines

2011-09-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you had a great summer. We can't believe it's all over already.
Little C started 1st grade last week, and while I looked forward to having some extra time for myself and DD, I was already missing him by noon. He only had half days in Kinder so this is new for us. Starting 1st grade makes you realize that your little one is suddenly grown up and joining in with the big kids. As we waited in line last week, I held his little hand a little tighter. And he did too.

2011-06-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

We had out of town guests come visit last week which of course meant a visit to the city and nothing beats that to make us fall in love with SF all over again. Especially on a beautiful sunny day, it's just magical. Having left San Francisco shortly after the 89 quake, we live about 40 minutes away but far enough so that we don't visit as much we want to. I worked in Union Square for several years; walking around Union Square, the sights, smells, crowds always brings back memories. We went up to Twin Peaks for the best view of the city and to Fort Point to avoid the Golden Gate tourist crowds and get up close to the bridge. After that, across the bay to Marin.

Hopefully I will be able to visit the Haight, Hayes Valley next time if I make it to the SF Renegade..are any of you going?

And look what I got in the post yesterday, a surprise package from one of my lovely customers, who has just had a baby and I am so touched that she took time out of her crazy busy day to make something special for me and the kiddos. Thank you Mary for these treasures!

Have a great Friday everyone!

done and dusted

2011-04-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Finally finished those crowns for the little production, littlest C enjoyed trying them on.

Yoshi the cat is officially a reject, back to the drawing board for a little pattern tweaking, but the little ones still love him. Hopefully that will motivate me to crochet another arm stitch the him up.

Hope you all have a lovely Easter weekend.

x

have you ever

2011-04-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

volunteered for a project thinking easy peasy..then as usual you are over ambitious? Instead of making simple paper chain necklaces that the teacher would be happy with I decided all 28 kindergarten students must have cute felt crowns. Only problem is I have two days to finish this.. I have been frantically cutting, ironing/burning myself, sewing, running around get supplies, chasing fed-up kiddos to try them on and having ~~dreams~~ nightmares about crowns. Girls finished, now onto the boys. Except they have one color versus two because I'm fed up with cutting. My husband demands the normal wife back. Oh, this morning, I looked at the leftover felt scraps and thought I might make cute matching bracelets to match. Glutton for punishment aren't I.

packaging

2011-04-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

getting ready to drop off orders to the post office. Happy Tuesday!

sincere thank you!

2011-04-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much everyone who visited my shop today and adopted my friends; I appreciate it so much! I will be sad to see them go but I am hoping they will bring lots of smiles to the recipients.

Have a great rest of the week xo

preview

2011-04-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

What a lovely day here in the Bay Area, CA. In between getting ready for the update tomorrow, we spent some time in the garden planting herbs. And we managed to find a kaffir lime plant so I was pretty excited about that. It's a young plant so no limes yet but fragrance of the leaves is just glorious. I can't wait to use it in Thai dishes.

Here is a preview of what's coming in the shop tomorrow at 3pm PST.

The orange haired girl and some other special friends will have to wait for the next update.

Edited to add: The bear girls are approximately 14 inches long. I made them 2 inches bigger than my previous bear girls and this will be the new size from now on.

2011-04-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new little creature. He's been in my head for a while now, and it makes happy to see him come together. I absolutely adore cats and although I haven't had any as pets for about 10 years now, my children also love them too so this unfinished cat is already bringing laughter here. The yarn I am using is very dear to me also, it's a vintage Patons yarn that my mother gifted me a few years ago. It is her leftover stash from a sweater she knit me about 30 years ago when we were living in New Zealand. She doesn't knit very much and I know she spent many weeks knitting me this sweater and guess what, I lost it at school the same day she knitted it for me. I believe that was the last time she knit for me! Anyway, working with this yarn brings back so many memories of a place I loved so much as a child.

I will be busy sewing this weekend for the shop update on Monday at 3pm PST. Hope you can make it, have a lovely weekend. x

2011-04-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Another preview for the shop update. Happy Tuesday!

shop update change and blog love

2011-04-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

We finally got a taste of spring this weekend and this meant lots of time outdoors...so I wasn't able to get most of the work done I had planned this weekend. I decided to change the shop date to Monday, April 11 instead of the 8th. The time will also be moved from 11am PST to 3PM PST. To all my Australian customers, I hope that it a better time for you! I will make a mental note from now on to remember to check Australian time for the updates..sorry about that! On that note, I wanted to let you all know how thankful I am that despite my sporadic posting and my often empty shop you continue to visit me and support my work. Thank you for letting me know you are here and that my creations bring a smile to your day, it means so much to me!

Now, I wanted to share a super lovely blog I came across the other day. You know how you come across a site and you want to read all the entries?
Check out this gorgeous space. I want it. We want it.

all images by Guusje of http://guusjes-appeltaart.blogspot.com

2011-04-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the book I bought a few months ago from which I made littlest C's jacket, ISBN #9784579112777. It has quite a few adorable patterns in it but unfortunately the sizing only goes from 90 to 105cm.

I made these jeans for DS and he loves the elastic waist. He still forgets zipping up his fly after the bathroom visits :). This is from another book, I will post the book when I find it.

I've finished a birdie for the shop update. It is going to be very hard to part with this chap.
Hope you like him. Have a great weekend!

2011-03-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today I made a lightweight wool blend coat for my littlest C. I finally used one of the patterns in a Japanese sewing book. Anyone else have several Japanese books but never got to actually using them? A couple of years ago I started on a really adorable pant from this book, but ended up with a headache from finding the pattern pieces and never got back around to it.

This is a really sweet and easy pattern and it's a generous but flattering fit. It has adorable kimono like 3/4 length sleeves and it's fully lined. And it passes her comfort test.
Next time I'll post the book and and a pair of jeans I made for DS.

2011-03-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

This old teddy which was originally my mother-in-law's, then my husband's has been through lot's of love, rough handling, dog maulings but I love it. Toys were truly made so well back then. I decided my teddy bear is a boy now and I need to sew him a pair of pants and vest I think.

I can never seem to work on a series of dolls at the same time which is not very efficient, but it helps me stay motivated despite sore fingers. I've moved on to birds now, I hope I can get everything finished for the next update!

2011-03-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

On my desk today, I decided to give her a head of beautiful ginger hair, hope you like her.

2011-03-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

We had a tornado warning today at noon and big C's kinder class was in lock down. The threat past quickly but it was nerve wracking nevertheless. I can't even remember ever having a tornado warning in the Bay Area.
Fridays is our day when the little ones and I got out to lunch; we will staying in today, listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops.

Have a nice weekend xo

2011-03-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

My next shop update will be Friday, April 8th at 11am PST.

There, I've done it and commited to a date. I will hopefully have some birdies in the shop as well for Easter.

Have a great Tuesday!

xo

back at the machine

2011-03-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'm back at my desk sewing after a short hiatus. I had surgery in December and I fell in love with knitting again. After years of unfinished socks, sweaters, etc, I realized I was approaching knitting the wrong way. I was impatiently knitting away, then giving up because of the time it takes to see a project to completion. While recuperating I learned that all those knits and purls can be relaxing and wonderful.

Anyway, I am hoping to have an update in a couple of weeks. But I am distracted by the immense sadness I am feeling for the Japanese people as they struggle with horrifying events that have/are taking place. I lived in Japan for 6 years and went to kindergarten there so I have many fond memories. I also called New Zealand home for 3 years in my youth so I was saddened by the tragedies there, and now this. Thankfully the friends we still keep in touch with are okay. I can't help holding my two little ones close to me and remember that life is fragile and we are blessed everyday we are together.

a couple of weeks ago we went camping

2010-11-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

At the Pfeiffer Big Sur Park, we had so much fun, I didn't even get freaked out by all the bugs. Our campsite was underneath majestic redwoods and by the river so noise of water streaming down lulled us to sleep. We hiked during the day and went to Pfeiffer state beach to play and wonder at the purple sand.

Can't wait to go back. Perhaps when it is a bit warmer as it was freezing at night but we managed to avoid the crowds.

I'm hoping to get a small shop update for the 1st of week of December which will probably be the last for this year.

It's moments like these that make my heart melt :)

afternoon tea

2010-09-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or it's having an Englishman for a husband but I have begun to develop a serious need for something sweet with my afternoon cup of tea. This almond wafer adapted from here was so easy, fast too make and really tasty to boot. I love the light crispy texture and the subtle spiciness which the kids love too. I didn't have any ground cloves on hand so I omitted that and used a 1/4 cup less brown sugar. I didn't blanch my almonds either, I just used as is. I also used Eagle Mills ultra grain flour instead of all-purpose; I always use this flour when making cookies. Once the dough starts to soften after cutting it will stick like mad so I placed the sliced uncooked cookies right away on silpat or parchment paper, placed the almonds and stuck it back in the freezer while the oven reached 400 degrees. I warn you these are seriously moreish.

destash

2010-09-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

I decided my bookshelves needed a re-org and so I've put some of my japanese crafting books in the shop. These books are in excellent condition, some of them with just minor shelf wear on the covers.

2010-09-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

This little birdie is in the shop today and I hope to list a couple more by the end of this month.
I hope you are having a lovely weekend; we have got a bit of hot weather again in the bay area.

a much needed break

2010-09-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your comments on my last post! The mac book died we weren't able to revive it. Or the data. I learned a hard lesson there..always back up!! Thank you for the comments on my contribution to Plush You LA also. I'm glad you liked them.

The last week of August before Cameron started his first day of kinder we went on holiday to a beautiful place on the Mendocino/Sonoma coastline in California called The Sea Ranch.
It's a 10 mile private area of land about 3 hours from San Francisco and an hour before Mendocino, and I really fell it is one of the most tranquil and beautiful places in California. Sea Ranch houses are built so that they don't detract from the surrounding scenery but they are also beautifully designed. Wild deer are everywhere, the night sky is dazzling with stars, and the tide pools are wonderful. And of course the coastline is just breathtaking.
We missed the whale migration this year but saw lots of sea lions and harbor seals soaking up the sun.
We spent hours hiking through the majestic redwoods and the bluff trails right along the coast to watch the crashing surf. We woke up early every morning to bike down to two fish bakery to buy their delicious sticky buns and morning buns before they sell out. We kayaked in the beautiful neighboring Gualala river and ate our picnic lunch on the beach. The house we rented for the week was amazing and we spent every single night in the separate bath house located next to the house relaxing in the tub gazing at the stars ( I can't believe I don't didn't take more photos of the house to share with you!)
The best part about Sea Ranch is that it is very secluded and quiet and on all the hikes we went on we hardly bumped into anyone. What a contrast to somewhere like Disneyland. You see, I felt really guilty about not taking the kids to Disneyland this year as we had agreed that would be our holiday this year. They have never been to Disneyland and I feel really bad when I hear his friends talk about their summer trip there. After such a busy year, we decided we needed a break where we could slow down and be truly rejuvenated. It was nice being whole again, after being away from my husband for 6 months last year. We wished we could have stayed forever. and ever.

finally! Plush You LA

2010-08-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

I finished these two dolls for the Plush You LA 2010 show. I am really in love with Amelie, the blue hair girl. She is the favorite of everything I have made so far. Her little jacket is made of Liberty fabric with a peter pan collar made of a vintage Japanese textile. She is wearing little wool pantaloons and I embroidered a little shirt placket onto her linen body. Since I had to pull out of the Luv-able Hug-able show last year, I am super excited to be participating at this awesome show. I know it's not really a cohesive collection, but I decided to send little Jersey birdie along too.

As I am typing this on my husband's mac, he is working away at my mac book. Because...I spilled a whole mug of tea onto it last week and it's basically fried. I can't help screaming, stupid is as stupid does because...

1) it's less than a year old
2) I've spilled coffee all over a few dolls last year and that has not taught me to keep liquids away from my desk
3) my daughter actually dumped about 1/4 cup of tea on it last month but it miraculously survived that incident and that has not taught me to keep liquids away from my desk
4) our external hard drive was over capacity and so I had not backed up at all this year which means most of my packaging designs I created this year is GONE!

Gosh, I am so pissed off at myself and I know I do not deserve any sympathy from you all at ALL.

the sneaky swiper

2010-07-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

My 2.5 year has a habit of swiping all of my son's goodies. Especially when he is at school. I knitted this scarf yesterday for him but she loves it more. It helps that she isn't ticklish around the neck like my son is.

Next up, this sweater. How cute is this? Can't wait to start. Oh and I'm making this one for her in case she tries to snatch that one too.

thank you

2010-07-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and sharing your experiences with me regarding my daughter's issues with her adenoids and tonsils. So...we had booked her to have surgery last month and then I got cold feet. I knew that the recovery wasn't going to be pleasant for her then but then I found this blog where 100+ people had posted about their experiences and the majority of them was saying how awful it was. How doctor's downplay the pain when in reality it is pure hell. Then of course she finally got over her cold and so her snoring got better. I felt so guilty looking down at her peaceful sleeping face thinking I would subject her to such an experience. A few weeks after that she got another cold and she is really suffering again, sleep apnea and all. I realized I must see past immediate period of painful recovery and look towards a great future for her..imagine her being able to smell her food! Walk up hills without struggling! Gaining weight for a change.
I booked her in with another doctor, the one we originally wanted to see as he is a very well known pediatric ENT here in the bay area who has conducted large studies using a surgery technique that that leaves the capsule in place resulting in less pain and faster recovery. My daughter would be a good candidate for this as she does not have problems with her tonsils getting infected. We are having to wait 2.5 months to see him but I feel less anxiety about this now. So thank you, I really felt better reading your comments, I know we are doing the right thing.

To help her with her cold, I made some chicken pho yesterday. Not the best thing to make when your house is 80 degrees plus inside, but it was delicious. Kids love it too.

I bought Rashida's book sometime ago and I decided to make a set of patchwork coasters for my sister in law last night. I love patchwork and this was the perfect small project for a last minute gift. I should make more patchwork things as I have so many scraps but sometimes I find the cutting and putting together different fabric combinations a bit daunting.

I wanted to do an update last month but I didn't have much time for sewing, sorry. I am in the plush you LA show this year so I am working on three pieces for that; I hope I can get some more things in the shop at the end of this month.

Have a great weekend xo

added - does anyone know of a good html code book/website for blogs? I can't seem to to alter the left hand margin and my images are getting distorted.

Distractions

2010-06-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

My 2.5 year old daughter has been snoring for about a year now, and constantly makes snorting noises during the day. Today we took her to a ENT doctor who confirmed that she needs to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out, poor thing. I am so sad that she will have to endure the pain and because her first visit to the dentist totally traumatized her, she does not like anything or anyone that resembles a dentist chair and white coat. The hygienist held her down so hard that she tore both sides of her mouth and she cried so hard that she popped blood vessels in her face before I could ask them to stop. Today she was completely content in the waiting room but as soon as she saw that chair, she freaked out. I am so nervous about the thought of her being put under...but I know this will help her in so many ways, her eating (or lack of), being off the weight chart and sleep apnea.

After spending hours reading about it on the Internet, I needed a distraction and dug out my yarn basket for some crochet therapy. I started the larger granny squares about 3.5 years ago when I saw an amazing cream granny square bed sized blanket in some french magazine. I got to about 10 before it got tossed into my yarn basket.
This infamous blanket got me excited about tackling it again so I started two squares using Yvestown's tutorial. Because it's so much smaller than my previous ones, it's really fun to do.
I used Lucy's tutorial to join the square as you go which is makes this so much more enjoyable!

That little piece of grey striped linen fabric was my little son's project today. I made little dots with the fabric marking pen and he sewed running stitches and attached buttons using a real grown up needle for the first time. He was totally loved using real needles and sewing like mommy! Then I noticed the running stitches he made all over our bed that he neglected to show me :)

happy mail

2010-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

A big thank you for visiting my shop on the 20th for my update. I was amazed that it had been over a year since I've listed anything. I am really sorry for those of you who weren't able to adopt anything that day but I am starting work on another update in June hopefully.

It's a dull overcast day here so timing could not be any better to finally receive the lovely prints from the super talented Paola Zakimi. I've been a huge admirer of her work for ages and she is such a huge inspiration. On the days I feel blah about creating anything, I just pop over to her flickr stream and I literally run to my desk with a renewed vigor! I hope to adopt one of her beautiful dolls one day but in the meanwhile check out her tutorial for creating your own little loveliness.

more pics for today's update

2010-05-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

For today's update at 3:00pm Pacific Time.
So sorry for the not so nice pics. The best I could this morning! I will try for another update in June should you miss what you wanted today :(

Thank you! xo

shop update photo

2010-05-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

These little birdies are for the Thursday update. Except I might have to keep Mr. Casanova at home.
The first grey birdie on the left is made of wool and liberty fabric that I bought in London last year. The linen birdie to her right is wearing a charming little wreath on her head. The sweet grey one on the right is also made of wool and is sporting a little green beret. All with hand embroidered eyes, beauty mark and needle-felted little beaks.

Hope you like them. I think I only will have one bear girl this time but hope to have some more next month.

next shop update

2010-05-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

will be on Thursday, May 20th at 3:00pm Pacific time. Pics to follow next week.

Have a lovely weekend everyone :)

xo

productive day

2010-05-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another girl I am hoping to finish for the update next week. I don't make these very often because frankly the hair is a pain the butt to do and the painting of the eyes requires plenty of daylight for precision lines but they are my favorite. I am going to try needle-felting mohair onto her head next time...

I have a tendency to have multiple projects going on at once; almost finishing one then moving onto the next. It drives me crazy to see these unfinished plushes when they are about 80% finished but I can't seem to discipline myself from jumping onto the next creation. After finishing the hair a couple of weeks ago, I was so done with working on it for awhile, but I knuckled down and started on the body and limbs today and managed to almost finish her. Hooray! Now to the fun part: embroidery details and a dress.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

xo

p.s. thank you for the lovely comments on the last post :)

on my desk today

2010-05-04T15:05:00.001-07:00

I am finishing up this little birdie with a leaf wreath on it's wee head. Still deciding on yellow versus brown beak but I still can't find my wool roving to make the needle-felted beak. I hoping get her and the chubby one on her right in the shop early next week along with a couple of bear girls.I'm finishing up a new illustration for the my shop's packaging too. I hope you like it.
~~I don't know why my text being underlined today. Maybe it's a blogspot glitch?~~

Sometimes my 4.5 year old is more computer literate than I am. Scary but true.

today I am

2010-04-30T14:03:00.001-07:00

Cutting roses from the garden for little jam jars.

Still sorting this out from boxes. Moving from storage is really not fun. But my Louis chair from Room and Board arrived yesterday and I am so in love with it.

The mantle needs serious work though. I am trying to convince my husband to paint something large for it. That is his teapot he made in A levels (I think senior high school level? in UK).

I'm still planning for a early May update. My in-laws were here for about a month, stranded here actually for the last week due to the volcanic eruption. So now I have a bit more crafting time on my hands. Except the kiddies are sick again..I wonder when the endless colds ease up?
Hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

playing catch up

2010-04-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Remember this group I was supposed to send off to hijkids last year? I finally finished them up last night and hopefully they will reach Kristine by early next week.

I also hope to have a small update at the end of this month. Stay tuned for date/time info.

Happy Wednesday everyone :)

and the winner is...

2010-03-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

#33 - Katie of Skunkboy Creatures! Needless to say, Ingrid is very excited.

Thanks to RNG picking the winner for me, and a big thank you to all of you for entering and leaving me such nice comments. You made my week!

This was so fun, I am definitely going to do this again soon. Hope you all have a great week.

family portrait

2010-03-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

family portrait - marker on cardboard

Cameron has never been very interested in the art of coloring and doodling. I would see all his little classmates engrossed in their coloring pages at school but Cameron would give it maybe 5 minutes before he gets bored.
On the other hand, ask him a question such as how a dishwasher operates, or how gasoline powers cars, and he can tell you how in amazing detail. He astounds me with knowledge of such things. In his analytical and mechanically minded head, he really couldn't be bothered with the silly little drawing implements. Until recently, I never really pushed him to continue practicing, afraid he might develop a long lasting aversion to it. Meanwhile, my 2 year old has been able to hold a pencil correctly and draw basic shapes pretty accurately for a few months now. I started to get worried, especially since most of his classmates can write their own names now.

Then a couple weeks ago, I started to see a change. He will now spend a good hour just scribbling and I think all the practice has strengthened his fingers so that he can hold his pencil accurately, use the scissors well and also use these chopsticks effortlessly.

Anyway, Cameron drew this picture for me today. I almost cried because this is the first time he had drawn anything like this. He told me this is our family portrait and we are standing underneath a umbrella with raindrop kisses falling on top. I asked him why mummy had no tummy and he told me it's because since both babies are out of my tummy (sister and himself), I don't need one anymore.

I love this little man.

ingrid - giveaway

2010-03-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of nights ago, I accidentally nicked her with my scissors when I was snipping a thread. So aggravating since I had already spent many hours on it! You probably wouldn't notice it if I didn't point it out to you but of course I can't put her in the shop. I was very tempted to keep her for myself as I think is she very sweet but thought what a perfect opportunity for giveaway.

Thank you all for continuing to visit me here even though the posts have been few and far between.

Leave me a comment and I will draw a name randomly next Sunday, and announce the winner on Monday, March 22nd. Hopefully that will give me enough time to find all my packing material still in boxes somewhere!

hello birdie

2010-02-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

welcome back little one, it's been too long since I've made one of you..almost a year in fact.

We have finally found a permanent place for now back in the bay area. My hands have been idle for too long. I thought I would give this birdie a cheeky expression. I like it.

finally...

2009-11-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I've missed you California. First major stop: Joann's. Never thought I would say this but I felt like I died and went to heaven. Nick, the kiddies and I are together again after 4.5 long months. I can't wait to get my crafting juices flowing again and to update my shop. I had to bail out of the hug-able luv-able exhibition this year due to some postal issues but I hope I will be invited to participate next year.

Hope to have some craftiness to share with you guys soon!

xo

a little bag for a little boy

2009-09-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

"I love clouds mummy. And I love rain."
"Why do you like the clouds and rain, little C?"
"Because I am English!!"

Made for my all of a sudden grown up, soon to be 4 year old little boy. Who started preschool 5 days a week yesterday. To be hung on his hook at school.
Made of cotton and wool, hand embroidered with split stitches, raindrops filled with polyfill.
He loves it.

love at first sight

2009-09-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

I had a nice suprise waiting for me in the garden yesterday.

A 70's vintage Bernina Record 830, on loan from a friend. And it weighs a TON. It is so lovely to work with such a solid machine, very advanced for it's time and so unbelievably quiet and smooth.

I went to a fabric store in London last week and found some small floral quilting cotton for a littlest C's quilt. I want to try and tackle a twin size quilt for her, inspired by the lovely Pip Studio. The biggest quilt I have made is a cot size so wish me luck on this one. I am still undecided on prewashing vs. no prewashing. I usually always prewash but I will include some precut liberty squares that are unwashed..would love to hear what you do.

I visited Liberty as well. What a treat to see and feel those lovely tana lawns. Picked up a large remnant for my stash. I loved the vintage look and the yellow and dark greys together.

English seaside

2009-09-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. Thank you all so much for your sweet comments regarding my last post; they meant a lot to me and motivated me to get my creative mojo back too. Now if only my borrowed singer would stop acting up!
It looks like we are likely to stay here until late October for sure, and we will probably know by the beginning of next month whether we are here for good or not for the next few years. Little C will start at a great nursery (preschool) on Friday, he is very excited and best of all it's FREE!!! Considering how hard it is to get him into a decent preschool back home, this is a strong selling point for staying.

We managed to get to the Hampshire coast for a mini break before the end of the summer. Lots of time at the beach and walking along the coastline. This is the first time I have seen the English coast on a beautiful sunny day and the sea was a breathtaking aqua blue.

there is hope for me afterall

2009-08-01T04:09:00.000-07:00

I feel as if I have been in creative hibernation; the unproductive kind. It's been so long since I have picked up a pencil, paper and drafted a new pattern. Or since I've sewn anything really. I miss making my bear girls and wonder if I can even sew. Missing all my crafting material back home. Self doubt about my creative abilities. Do you ever feel like this?

When an inspiration or a design idea hits me, my wheels start churning and sometimes I can't even sleep well. I don't usually sketch my ideas first (not a good idea!), I just start cutting out pattern pieces and usually have to tweek it a few times before it looks vaguely acceptable. This is where for me I find plush making to be challenging. Flat pieces or ideas sketched can look so different once stitched and stuffed. Even the way it is stuffed can alter it's appearance quite a bit. Having the discipline to complete each version and give it a decent chance before I bin it takes a lot patience and I find this the most difficult part. Once I feel a pattern is complete the feeling is amazing. I get so excited about making them in the right fabrics, with all the little details that make each piece special.

This has happened to me a few days ago. I have been invited to particpate in an exhibit this year (more on that later) and it forced myself out of this hibernation and I think I'm pretty happy with my new plush sculpture. It is to be called "hunted fox" and she will adorn a little cloak scattered with leaves which will help camouflage and blend her into the forest. It still needs a bit of work, ears to be designed, complete hair embroidery on legs and the cloak needs to be designed and stitched but I'm pretty happy with the way she turned out. I hope you like her too.

done and dusted

2009-07-12T04:56:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my first ever mohair teddy bear. Well almost. I'm still waiting for black embroidery floss so I can add claws. I have been really wanting to make for one for some time, and have several pieces of mohair back at home, some even hand dyed but I was always either too busy with the shop or afraid to cut into the expensive fabric. As I do not have any of my sewing/crafting supplies here (even yarn and needles) it's become the perfect craft project for me. I ordered the kit from here and just held my breath as I cut into the beautiful mohair fabric. A friend kindly lent me her mother's old singer and so I used a combination of machine sewing and hand sewing. I realized at the beginning of the project that I did not have a seam ripper and had a mild panic, but managed to finish her without needing it once! Not perfect but pretty good considering. Making her made me wonder just how teddy bear artist can take all the abuse your hands and fingers suffer while making one after another. Even turning the cotter pins in all the joints took quite a bit of effort and my hands were sore for a couple of days. So fun though and I can't wait to draft a new pattern with a more triangular head and slightly longer and thinner muzzle like the old vintage bears of the early 1900s.

I missing home and Nick. And I even miss Joann's! I miss being able to drive for 10 minutes and grabbing a whole load of notions for half off. Craft supplies kind of suck here in Cambridge and I am bit down about that. But thank you for the suggestion of heading down to Shepard's Bush in London for fabric. I have an appointment with Embassy this coming Friday and will spend the morning there. I've done some reading on the area and it sounds really promising.

We have had a really hot heatwave here in the UK a couple of weeks ago and the thunder flies were out in full force, I mean crawling in your ears, face and everything. So glad that's over!

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. xo

extended stay

2009-06-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

It's been about a month and a half since my last post. How awful. Thank you for your helpful suggestions on flying to the UK with two young children. We managed to survive the flight without any disasters. I went to Cost Plus and loaded up on little toys and got a bunch of coloring books and crayons too. Turned out that we didn't really use much of these on our flight out since the flight was at 5:30pm and once the initial excitement wore off, it was bedtime for them anyway. I have learned a couple of lessons though. First, the car seat decision. We went back and forth on whether we should install a carseat on the plane for our 3.5 yr. old son. I must have read a dozen forums on this topic. We decided to take the carseat for him and since our DD was a lap baby didn't need one, we strapped his car seat onto our carry-on bag and put her in it for getting around in the airport. She loved being in it and she usually hates the stroller. This freed us up considerably and since our car seat is the Radian and it is quite narrow, we would have had no problems getting through the airplane aisle. Once we got to the gate, we were still debating whether to take it on board or not. I have read that most parents don't use a car seat on the plane once their child is 3.5 or over. I didn't see anyone else with a car seat either. So we decided to gate check it. Big mistake. Poor little man was pretty uncomfortable sleeping in his seat. Because there is no crotch strap, he kept slipping down the seat which put his neck in a really awkward position. And since he is not used to sleeping in my arms, he didn't feel comfortable sleeping on me either. We were also in the bulkhead aisle which meant that the arm rests don't go up so he couldn't lie across two seats. If we had to do it again, I would definitely take the car seat on. Our daughter was fine in the infant seat and although she only really slept for 4 hours, she was pretty content to wake up, smile and doze off again.

Double flowering Poppy in our garden

Life has been really wonderful for the last month. Weather in England has been brilliant and it is really really lovely to see both of them enjoy my mother in law's great big garden. I have been sleeping in most mornings and Jenn (my MIL) takes them out quite a bit so Nick (my husband) and I have had a lot of time to ourselves in Cambridge. It's been really lovely. I don't even remember the last time we had a day to ourselves. We also went into London and I went to the Cloth House which I really was looking forward to. I only bought some yardage of dark navy purple gingham because the fabrics there wereon these super long bolts and since I mostly make dolls now I felt a little awkward asking for less than a 1/4 of a metre. But they had the most amazing cotton velveteen I have ever seen. I couldn't believe it was cotton, it was so soft. Only downer of the day was that Nick and I missed the last off peak train out of London and it cost us an additional 29 pounds. That's right, 29 pounds so if you tally up what we paid for the off peak return tickets and the additional 29, it costs us 120 dollars to go into London and back to Cambridge. I was in total shock. Apparently, England's rail system is the most expensive in Europe. I guess I won't be going into London again for a while!

News to share with you is that I'm still here. With the kids but minus Nick. During our absence, we finally managed to sell the house back in the bay area. We decided that it would be best if he went home alone to sort out the house because, well I'm sure most of you know how hard it is to get anything done with two little munchkins. That was a hard decision. We have never been apart for more than a week during the 8 years we have been together. Seeing them so contented and happy here, to take them home where they would be couped up indoors most days while we scramble to get everything packed seemed so unfair. And....one of the things we really started to entertain for the last few weeks is the possibility of us moving to the UK. Life in England is starting to appeal to me. And to him a little. Don't get me wrong, I love living in California and I've been there for 20 years plus but the sad state California is in at the moment is really making us think deeply about where we want to for the next few years. In England our son would have free preschool in a highly regarded school. We would all have free health care. Plus we would be close to Nick's parents who have missed out on so much of our children's lives. If we do end up in Cambridge, I would even have access to a Korean and Chinese store so I would still be able to cook Asian dishes. The pros are piling up and I'm starting to imagine a little life out here for us. I would miss my family and friends like mad though. And since I have quite afraid of flying, seeing them regularly would be a bit of challenge. And the biggest con would be: fabric.
Yes, fabric. Why the heck is fabric so expensive here? I almost fell over backwards when I saw a bolt of Windham quilting cotton in John Lewis for $23 a metre. What the??

A little alley in Devizes. I went to an amazing antique and collectible shop

Anyway, I am planning on having some of my fabric and notions sent here from home and I have managed to borrow a sewing machine. I am really missing sewing right now. I've got so many ideas and projects in my head dying to be made. Does anyone know how I would go about sending a big box here? I am figuring that USPS, FedEx and UPS are too expensive but I can't google any US parcel delivery services here. I keep getting UK companies.

In the meanwhile, I will be working on a mohair teddy bear. Something I have wanted to make for a long time.

news...

2009-05-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

I hope all you mothers out there had the best day ever. I didn't get to sleep in because that is an absolute impossibility with two babes laughing and hollering but I had a wonderful home cooked dinner:

We went hiking up in the woods where the air and smell of the forest was just heavenly. My little one making one of her funny faces:

Nothing on the shop front but I am working really hard on an order for HIJKIDS (sorry it's late Kristine!). I don't do wholesale or large orders but made an exception for a lovely friend and her sweet online shop:

Hopefully these girls will be in her hands by late May because...we will be going to the UK in 10 days time!! This was sort of a last minute thing and the thought of flying, and flying with two young children is making me really nervous but I am so excited. We haven't been for about 2.5 years and this will be the first time for the littlest.

Can't wait for:

: going into the center of Cambridge (we are staying at my in-laws, in a quaint little village outside Cambridge)
: a full english breakfast
: topshop
: thrift finds at oxfam shops
: real bangers and mash
: FISH AND CHIPS!!
: sleeping in (my MIL is the best! truly!)
: pint of real ale
: mini trip to London
: fabric shopping - where i can pick up some liberty fabric
: the best indian food - outside India
: visiting stately homes
: lovely countryside and wild little rabbits
: English yogurt and bread
: visiting husband's extensive network of family and friends

Which means my little shop will be closed for June but I will continue blog posts with hopefully some photos of our little trip. Does anyone have any tips for air travel with 2 young ones? We decided not to buy a seat for our 16 month old as British Airways has a infant seat thing that they attach to the bassinet table. Hope I don't regret that decision.

Today's update

2009-04-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of what will be in my shop today, at 1PM Pacific Time:

Hope to see you there!

xo

Birthday presents and Sunday

2009-04-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

I whipped up a couple of presents for my son's classmates last week. First is a little messenger satchel for a 3 year old boy

a set of wooden country girls for his 4 year old sister made from Alicia's kit I bought last year

This plus more sick kiddies so not much work done lately. I thought about delaying the shop update again but decided to go ahead with a small update this Sunday, the 26th at 1PM pacific time with two nature bear girls and maybe a birdie. The bear girls prices have increased a bit too, to account for the many hours and care taken to create each one. I know how times are tough for everyone these days, so I am very sorry about this and thank all of you for your support. Hopefully some opened eye girls in early May.

Happy Friday!

shop delay

2009-04-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter. Just a short post to let you all know I will be delaying my shop update to the 26th..I have some last minute birthday gifts I am needing to whip up for this weekend. Please check back for exact time.

Happy Monday!

on my desk

2009-04-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Or bed, actually. I Just got over a horrendous head cold and now feeling like tackling the piles of cut cloth on my desk.

On a different note, does anyone use a wacom tablet with a mac? I can't decide on a intuos 4 or a bamboo. I know the intuos 4 is supposed to be really great but at about 2x the cost, I am trying to convince myself that the bamboo would be sufficient for illustration work.

have a nice Friday!

xo

linen bag for your wee collectors

2009-04-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

My son loves to collect all sorts of goods he finds on his daily walks. Pine cones, flowers, interesting shaped leaves, rocks, feathers and the occasional bug here or there. So I had a collector bag on my to-do list and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. I used a medium weight linen fabric and wool/cashmere blend for the outside and a cotton canvas lining to make it sturdy but lightweight. And a little "secret stash" pocket on the inside. I couldn't help adding a sweet little felt bunny on it. Not so appropriate for my son who told me in disgust "that's a girl's bag!! Oops! better get working on another sans bunny real soon.

He was still a sport and modeled the bag for you.

The two kiddies rooming together is going really well btw. Thank you all for your suggestions and support! Since my daughter was moved into my son's blue room, I felt their room needed something. It's kind of a challenge decorating a boy/girl room. I whipped up a fabric bunting which was inspired by Ella; Jimin hung it over her kitchen entry doorway...I loved the petite size of the flags and the combo of fabrics.

The bias trim I made to attach the flags was a bit thick so I was a bit stumped on how I should attached it to her wall. I decided to stitch the ends into a loop using embroidery floss with a little "x". Neat and simple. Perfect.

I realized today that my last shop update was in January!! Sorry about the shop being empty for so long. My next update will be on April 19th. I plan to have bear girls, some birdies and the little bags mentioned above. Have a great weekend!

machine sketching

2009-03-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today I made a couple of pouches, a nice break from plush. Instead of hand embroidery, I used the sewing machine to sketch the Eames inspired rocking chair applique. I've love the machine sketching created by Cathy Cullis (everything she creates is just amazing) and I've been wanting to try that for some time. I'm not sure whether I will list these for the shop; I may hold on to them in case I apply for the San Francisco Renegade fair this summer. The beautifully soft wool/cotton beige plaid fabric I used for the chair pouch is from a fabric store I went to with my dear friend.

front

side

back

pomme pouch

I can't wait to make more.

rearranging

2009-03-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. I am sorry about the long absence. As I mentioned in my last post I had to change focus to a different direction; nothing exciting or big news to share except that we have decided to put our house on the market. If there is one thing I really, really dislike doing, it's packing up and moving house. Throw a couple of kiddies in the mix and you have got a not so fun situation. Getting the house ready for viewings is pretty challenging as the little ones mess up the house as quickly as we get it in order. They have been very patient with the whole situation though, considering we had to downsize their play area quite a bit.

I have not been able to do any sewing for the shop but managed to create a few things here and there for the house. I made some mushrooms to go with two little birdies for the top of their toy shelf using this tutorial.

Really easy to do and it was so gratifying to create something that only takes an hour or so, depending how elaborate your mushroom is. The only little change I made was to use a ladder stitch to connect the stalk to the toadstool top for a neater finish and used wool instead of felt. Instead of buttons for the top, I embroidered little circles. Great little project for your little scraps of fabric. I also made some portrait silhouettes of little ones for their room; I'll post a picture of that next time.

We will miss our little walks, bird watching and the beautiful cherry blossoms trees which have bloomed and already started to fall off. Rain has stopped and I feel my spirits rising..spring is near.

Hopefully I will have a date for my next update soon. My sewing studio has been downsized to a little closet; more pics on that later!

Lillian and Jill

2009-01-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your comments on the room sharing. I am going to try it tonight and see how it goes. Wish me luck!

I'm putting Lillian and Jill in the shop today. That will be my last update for a few weeks as I am having to change focus to a different direction for a while. More on that later.

hello 2009!

2009-01-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hello, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a happy new year! One of my resolutions for this year is to clean up my studio/work area and to be more productive (haha). This is going to be hard as my daughter has taken over my studio and so I am now working in their playroom. You can imagine this is not the best of arrangements and I have to be super diligent with irons, pins, etc. I usually leave a certain number of needles and pins on my pincushion and write that number down on my inspiration board, so I know the minute I have misplaced one.

My daughter is now starting to walk too which is so exciting. Unfortunately I am finding less and less time to create which is hard; I find my sewing time so therapeutic. Which explains why my shop is so empty these days but I am working on a shop update for the end of January.

We are also thinking about putting my 1 year old daughter and 3 year old son together in one room. Thankfully they are both great sleepers now but I'm still really nervous about one waking the other or my son waking her up when he goes down for the night since he likes to end his day by chatting to his bedfellows. Will they fall asleep when they can be hollering and shrieking with glee? No one I know personally has two young children rooming together so I have no input there. I find that a little sad, actually. I had so much fun sharing a room with my little brother when I was a wee one. I would love to hear your experiences.

As for shop updates, I have decided to periodically list individual items on a random basis with update notifications on my blog only and send out individual shop update notices when I have a bigger update. This way I won't be annoying everyone with notices every time I list an item. I am also finding bigger updates to be quite challenging, even with just 6 to 8 items. Hopefully it will get easier as the year rolls on. I leave you with an image of Jersey, who will be landing into my etsy shop this afternoon, PST.

xo

Happy Holidays

2008-12-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a wonderful, happy Holiday. Thank you so much for coming to visit me here, for your lovely comments and supporting my work. I truly appreciate it.

I will see you in 2009!

xo

bye bye birdie

2008-12-16T20:28:00.000-08:00

A huge thank you to all who stopped by the shop the other day. Times are tough for all of us these days, so I really appreciate those who chose my creations for gifts or treats! Thank you.
I must say I am incredibly jealous of Hillary, who packed her bags and left for Hawaii to go live in a sunny yellow kitchen. She was my favorite birdie too, I will miss her.

I know it must sound odd for a thirty something old woman to be lamenting over the loss of her dolls, but I do. Particularly before a shop update; when I see them first thing in the morning they make me happy. My husband thinks I am so odd grinning at my dolls, cup of tea in hand.

Now I must start working on my x-mas gifts. I had planned to hand make all gifts this year, yeah right. Plus my daughter turns 1 this year, my Christmas baby. How time flies.

Today's update

2008-12-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

I've been hoping to finish 8 dolls and birds for the update today but the other night I spilled coffee on three dolls so I will only have 5 listings today. I spilled coffee on my Mac's track pad and broke it a few months ago so really I should have learned my lesson. I have been sewing nonstop at every opportunity and am really tired, so I'm really looking forward to taking a break and getting ready for the holidays.

xo

bird trio

2008-12-09T14:36:00.001-08:00

To be honest, I've never been too fond of birds before I met my husband 8 years ago (I prefer fluffy little things like cats. love them). When I was 10 years old, I was literally attacked by a mother bird when I unwittingly ventured too close to her nest. Then we moved to the area we live now and we are lucky enough to live a block away from an estuary, filled with absolutely beautiful birds such as herons, pelicans and so many different species... the occasional ray and dog sharks. My little twos love them. My husband is a true bird lover and has converted me too. So these birds are dedicated to them and they will be in my shop update on the 12th. I hope to have one yarn hair doll and two or three Charlottes. Hopefully I can post a pic on Thursday.

hello - my first post

2008-12-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to start a blog for a couple of years now but wasn't confident that I could find the time with two young kids, managing a household and crafting in my spare time. So I am really looking forward to sharing a bit of my life with all of you and to give you shop updates too.

Thank you for stopping by; I am so looking forward to getting to know you!